


New Foundation

by bmouse



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, M/M, feelings about third-years, slightly post-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 01:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6175903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bmouse/pseuds/bmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The week before the school year ends Coach Araki calls them into her office.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Foundation

The week before the school year ends Coach Araki calls them into her office. Both of them are easy to find. Even though club activities have technically been 'suspended' Tatsuya had charmed his way into a copy of the gym key and keeping the routine seems to make Atsushi happy. Though he still complains every once in a while, for effect. They do knee-strengthening drills and play one-on-one and take turns sweeping out the stray cherry blossoms that drift in through the door. 

A small flurry of them has piled up on Coach's windowsill, adding a soft touch to an otherwise terrifying room - program certificates and lovingly mounted medieval weapons flocking over her heavy oaken desk. Half of the back wall is covered by a huge Western tapestry of Yggdrasil, the world tree of Norse Mythology. The other half houses rows of framed photographs of retired Yosen starters.

Tatsuya sees that three of the pictures are new and tries not to look at them too closely, but no. No hole opens up in his stomach, no bitterness rushes to fill in the gaps in his memories. Maybe he's gotten better, a little. 

Atsushi walks over and traces their third years' frames with a sigh that trails off into a low whine, letting his hair fall over his eyes and into his mouth. 

For a moment Tatsuya swears Coach's eyes go soft.

"I have a question for the two of you" she says.

"Say I was an ancient warrior who had a family shield. It carried me through many battles. But inevitably with the passage of time, parts of the shield were damaged or lost. If over the course of a decade I replaced the leather straps, the boards in the backing, the metal studs and the paint - "

"Why are you fighting that long? That's a long time..."

"Because I love battles. Don't interrupt Murasakibara, just listen. If I replaced every part, it the same shield?" 

"No." says Tatsuya, immediately and from his gut, at the exact same time that Atsushi, behind him, says "Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because it needed to evolve to be effective."

"'Cause it's still your shield."

Coach smiles at them.

"Congratulations. Captain, Vice-captain."

~

**Author's Note:**

> So I've fallen for //this// KnB ship now, and like literally every character in the series I just want them to be OK and have a nice future. Also if Murasakibara is neurotypical I will eat my entire hat.


End file.
